Garage structure



Feb.10,19254 y 1,525,917.

A. COBB I GARAGE STRUCTURE Filed Dc. 16`, 1920A s sheets-sheet 1 .B :5223 a a? 4l s Q mmm., m... R +3 .R ama mum."

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Feb, 10. 1925.

A. COBB GARAGE STRUCTURE Firled Dec, 1eI 192o- Feb. 10, 1925. 1,525,917

` A. COBB GARAGE STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 16, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 www "al'IM H1 ll'lill TES Utili?? PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR coen, or CLEVELAND, onto.

GARAGE STRUCTURE.

Application filed December 16, 1920. Serial No. 431,123.

To all whom t 'may concern.'

Be it known that l, ARTHUR COBB, a citizen ot the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county ot Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful improvement in Garage Structures, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and enact description.

The objects ci this i vention are to provide for the storage of amaximum large number of motor cars within the enclosed cubical space; toenable cars to proceed under their own power to any and every storagestall without danger of collision with other cars going to storagestalls, or going out of the building from storage stalls; to enable eachdriver to parli his car in any storage stall, and to take his carout ofsaid storage stall and leave the building without help or guidance froman attendant, and without substantially delaying the progress of anyother car to or from its storage stall; to enable a large number ont'cars during rush hours to enter the structure and proceed to and park instorage stalls, or to get out of such stalls and out of the building inthe shortest possible time without being substantially impeded byothers, and with a minimum of danger oi collision with other cars.

With these ends in view, the invention consists in the construction andcombination ot' parts shown in the drawing and hereinaiter described andpointed out definitely in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a sectional side elevation or" a structurewhich embodies the invention, the section being in the plane indicatedby the line 1 1 on Fig. 6; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation in theplane ot line 2 2 on Fig. 6; Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation in theplane of line 3 3 on Fig. 6; Fig. d is a sectional side elevation in theplane of line #L on Fig. 6; Fig. 5 is a plan view in the plane ot' line5 5 on Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view in two planes on oppositesides oi the central vertical plane of the structure, the line 6 6 onFig. 2 showing the plane on one side of the central vertical plane, andthe line 6 6 on Fig. l showing the plane on the other side of saidvertical plane; Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view in theplane of line 7 7 on Fig. 2, and Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view ofone side of the structure in the plane of line 8 8 on Fig. l.

A garage building manufactured to embody the present invention is soconstructed that each car driver has substantially no option but to dothose things which will contribute to the attainment ot' the desiredends, as `above stated.

ln car storage buildings or garages, as they have heretofore beenconstructed (other than the small one floor garages) there have been aplurality of level floors which are divided into storage stalls andcommunicating aisles along which the cars may proceed to or from theelevator or ramps which are sometimes provided 'or the cars to travelupon on their own power from one floor to another.

The present invention diiers from prior structures in that it does notinclude any level car storage floors (except a portion of the groundfloor which may be used for car storagepurposes if desired), but on thecontrary is constructed with one or several systems of communicatingstraight ramps or inclines which in effect amount to inclined one-waystreets, which are of sufiicient width to provide for diagonal storagestalls along the sides thereof, and for an aisle between these two rowsof storage stalls along which the cars may proceed. The cars may go upone ramp to its upper end and then go transversely on a balcony providedfor the purpose to the lower end of another ramp, and so on until thecar arrives at the proper storage stall in which it is to be parked,which may be anywhere from the bottom to the top of this particularsystem. Thus by following the winding path comprising the side by sidebut oppositely inclined ramps and the balconies by which they areconnected, a car ever climbing over a path on which there are no carsgoing in a contrary direction and which no cars may cross, may reach anystorage stall in the system.

Depending upon the length of the building, there may be more than one ofthese winding and generally upwardly pr0ceeding storage ramp systems.These several systems, however many there may be, will be locatedbetween other systems; and there are transverse passageways throughwhich a car on the primary system near the ground lever thereof may passonto the low end of any ot the other storage systems.

rlhe structure is also made with a winding exit passage made up otoppositely inclined ramps along the sides of the structure, andbalconies by which the low end ot a ramp may be put into communicationwith the high end of the next ranip of the series. Moreover, there arenumerous lateral passageways from the storage ramps locate-d at thepoints where the plane oit the outgoing ramp intersects the plane of astorage ramp through which a car which is moving up on a storage rampmay turn and pass onto the outgoing ramp.

A construction embodying the present invention has some of thecharacteristics ot a maze although not one which is diiiicult to travelthrough. lt is my present thought that the patrons oi' the garage willbe enabled to more easily go to the. particular storage stall allottedto them it the several systems be painted with a characteristic color.@it course, this is not necessary, but I think it is desirable, and inany event the assumption that the several systems are so distinguishedwill greatly aid in understanding the construction shown in the drawingand herein described. In the construction shown in the drawing there arethree ramp storage systems, viz: the primary system which will bereferred to as the red system, the system next above` it which will becalled the blue system, and the next system above that which will becalled the yellow system.

Referring now by reference characters to the various parts shown on thedrawing, it will be noted that certain amount of space on the groundfloor level at the front ot the building is partitioned otlA `for use asstores, l0, two otl these stores are shown; and between thein is theentrance passageway l2 to the structure, and the outlet 'passageway 14.It will be clear that these inlet and outlet passageways may be locatedat any place along the front ot the building. The space within thebuilding exclusive ot the store space and the end balconies to behereinafter mentioned may be assumed to be divided by a centrally placedlongitudinally extended vertical plane indicated by line 13 on Figs. 5and although there need be no actual dividing partition. There will,however, be ramp supporting columns, and may be a row ot ramp supportingvertical columns 15 arranged substantially in said vcrtical plane.

rllhc ramps 20 belonging to the red, blue and yellow systems aredistinguished respectively by the letters R, B, and Y, associated withthe reference characters 20, and so with respect to all similar parts,those belonging in the diierent systems will bc indicated by theseletters following the reterencenumerals.

On one side ot' this central plane, inclined ramp 'floors are placed,these being all inclined from the front to the rear ot the structure,they being located one over another. ()n the opposite side of thiscentral plane are other inclined ramp floors 2l arranged one overanother; but these are oppositelyinclined, that is, they incline iirom apoint near the rear end oi the building upward toward the front end. Theupper end of each inclined floor ramp Q0 on one side ot the saidvertical plane is connected with the low end oir' an inclined floor ramp2l on the opposite side by a transversely extended balcony, thebalconies adjacent the rear end ot the structure being indicated by 22,and those adjacent the front ot the structure by 23. A car going up oneot the ramp tloors may proceed transversely on these balconies onto thenext oppositely inclined associated ramp floor, in series on the otherside oit the central plane.

The length of the building and the grade established tor the inclinedramp floors determines how much space there will be between `one rampfloor. and the ramp next above it in the same system. lt is believedthat the ideal grade for the ramp floors should be about 6% but that maybe varied.

Jhenever the distance between ramp floors ot the red system (whichdista-nce is de. terunned by the length ot the ramp floorsand the grade)is more than twice the distance required for car storage, other systemsmay be built in between the parts of the red system, and thereby utilizewhat would otherwise be waste space. in the construction shown there aretwo other systems which as before stated are designated the blue andyellow systems. The low end ot the bottom ramp floor 20B begins at apoint in the length of the ramp loors of the red system at which thereis a suitable distance, say l2 feet, above the low ranip floor 20T". Thelow ramp tloor 20B overlies the low ramp floor 2DR, and is parallel withit. rilhe other ramp floors oit the blue system overlie correspondingramp floors ot the red system, are parallel with them, and are at aconstant distance troni them; and the ramp lioors oi" the blue systemare connected in series by balconies 22B, 2?]3. The ramp floors QOY andQlY of the yellow systeni, and thel balconies ot this system overlie thecorresponding parts ot the blue system,-and of course underlie thecorresponding parts ot the red system.

In order that ears may be driven onto the blue system said cars proceedup on the ramp floor 20B and 21R until they reach the level of the lowend oi the lowest ramp iloor 20B, at which there is a lateral passage Bthrough which the cars may pass onto the ramp floor 20B. To get on tothe yellow system the cars go up a little farther on ramp floor 21R,where at the proper elevation there is a lateral passage Y through whichcars may travel onto the low end of the bottom ramp floor QOY. There maybe like lateral passages leading from the ramp floors of one system tothose of another system, at any and every place where the plane of aramp ioor 2l, of one system, intersects the plane of a ramp floor 20 ofanother system. 1t may be aconvenience to have these passages at all ofsaid intersections, but the lowest passages B and Y above described aret-he only ones which are necessary.

Along both sides of all the ramp oors 20 and 21 are the parking placesfor the cars or stalls 30, as they are called. These are arrangeddiagonally with respect to the sides of the ramp floors. Therefore, acar going up a ramp floor and arriving at a stall in which it is desiredto park the car has simply to turn to the right or left as the case maybe, to enter that stall. The` help and guidance of attendants is no morenecessary than it is upon public streets on which it is customary topark cars in the diagonal manner stated. lVhen one desires to get out ofthe stall he simply backs out and cramps his front wheels and so getshis car in the aisle 31 between two rows of stalls on the sides of theramp floors. His car is now again headed uphill and it must go uphill,thereby going in, the same direction that every other car must go solong as it is on any of the storage rampways described, until he arrivesat a lateral passage through which he may go onto the outgoing rampsystem. The ramp floors shown are of such width as to permit the storageof cars on both sides thereof, with an aisle between the two rows ofcars; but obviously they might be made narrower so as to accommodateonly one row of cars, or wider so as to provide room for two or moreaisles and room for rows of car stalls on both sides of all aisles.

rlfhis outgoing ramp system surrounds the storage ramp systemsdescribed, and comprises, along the sides of the structure, inclinedramps 40, 41, said ramps being oppositely inclined with respect to thestorage ramps alongside of which they lie; that is to say, the storageramps 2O inclined upward toward the rear end of the building. but theoutgoing ramps l0 alongside of them incline downward toward the rear endof the building. The storage ramps 2l incline upward toward the frontend of the building while the outgoing ramps el alongside of themincline downward toward the front end of the building. Therefore theplanes of the outgoing ramps frequently intersect the planes of thestorage ramps. At the ends of the building the lower end of an outgoingramp at one side of the building is connected with the upper end of anoutgoing ramp at the other side of the building by a horizontal balcony42 which may in some cases be a part of a balcony which is utilized forconnecting ends of the storage ramps.

At those points at which the plane of the outgoing ramps intersect theplane of the storage ramps there are lateral passageways 43 from thelatter to the former. A car, having been backed out of its stall,proceeds uphill until it reaches one ofthose lateral passageways,through which it turns and passes onto the outgoing ramp at the samelevel, and then proceeds downhill along the outgoing ramp system,winding around the building, to whatever extent circumstances require,and l"finally coming to the ground fioor level where communication isestablished with the outlet passageway 14.

At some or all of the points where the plane of the outgoing rampsintersect the planes of the adjacent storage ramps the outgoing rampsare made to member with the storage ramps; that is to say, to have thesame inclination. This is of advantage for several reasons. The driversof cars on the outgoing ramp'system will not, for safetys sake go veryfast, because of the presence of these oppositely inclined shortstretches which would act to bounce the car off of the roadway if thecar was going too fast. But the principal advantage of these oppositelyinclined parts of the outgoing ramps is that they advise the drivers ofcars on the outgoing rampway to be careful in approaching those placesso as to avoid collision with cars which may come through them onto theoutgoing` rampway.

When cars are parked along diagonally inclined ramps 2O and 2l the rearends of the cars would be lower than the front ends, and therefore therewould be a tendency of the car to back out of the stall in case thedrivers, when leaving the cars, failed to put on the brake. VariouseXpedients could be adopted to prevent the cars from so backing out ofthe stalls, but an expedient which vwill etfectually serve that purposeis to make the sides near the edges of the ramps 2O and 2l inclinedownward as shown, the inclination being such that when the front wheelsare driven onto the inclined sides 26 of theV ramp ioors each frontwheel will be at the same level as the rear wheel on the same side ofthe car, and therefore there will be no tendency for the car to backitself out of its stall.

From the foregoing it is quite evident that a car coming in through theinlet passage may have to turn slightly behind the stores lO and therebycome into line with the low end of the first or lowest of the rampfloors 20B. It will go up that ramp floor along the communicatingbalcony 23 and onto ramp 21R and if this car is to be parked in anystall which is a part of the red system it will proceed along the winding path described of which the red system is composed to that stall.lf, however, the stall in which it is to be parked is a part of theyellow or the blue system the` car will proceed up the red ramp 2l untilit arrives at the lateral passageway B or Y, as the case may be, throughwhich it may go onto the lowest of the ramp floors 9.0 of the selectedsystem.

lt will be seen that as the cars enter the garage and proceed to thestalls allotted to them they are proceeding along what is in effect aone-way street which cars are not able to cross. Cars may come onto theinclined ramp iioors of the blue and yellow systems from the red systemat certain places, which, however, `may be plainly marked. ln thepreferred constri'iction, however, there. is only one of these lateralpassages leading from the red system to each of the other two systems.and these are at the extreme lower ends of the blue and yellow systems.Therefore, the chance of collision between cars on any of the rampfloors or their connecting balconies is practically negligible.

T o get out of the garage the driver backs his car out of its stall intothe aisle between the cars which are parked on that particular rampfloor, and then proceeds uphill until it reaches a lateral passage 43through which it may go onto the outgoing rampway. When it gets ontothat rampway it goes downhill just as all of the other cars on saidrampway go downhill. in fact, no cars ever go uphill on the outgoingrampway, and the only chance for collision between cars is that a cargoing from a storage ramp onto the outgoing rainpway through -a lateralpassage 43 may collide with a car coming` down the rampway. There is,however, to be no partition such as will shut off the view of the driverof a car on the outgoing rainpway or the storage rampway on the sameside of the building. Therefore, the drivers of cars on the outgoingrampway as well as the drivers of those cars on the storage. rampwayswho propose to turn onto the outgoing rampway can see each other, andtherefore there is little danger of collision.

lt is not thought necessary to describe the structural details of thestructure described. lt is not thought that any instructions concerningthem are necessary. Any engineer will be competent to do the`engineering and designing work required for the erection of thedescribed structure with the ramps arranged relatively and for theco-operation as above described.

At approximately the center of the building a vertical well 50 iserected. This may contain a winding stairway upon which persons may gofrom the ground level up to that car storage ramp ou which their carsare respectively parked. rEheremay be one. or more elevators within thiswell. This well may also house the executive force of the garage. rlheentrance to this well may be had by a passage preferably in thel form ofa raised platform which in the construction shown is located between theinlet and outlet passages referred to.

Having described my claim l. A. built up garage structure whichincludes, in combination, a set of inclined longitudinally extended rampfloors which are located one above another on the saine side of alongitudinally extended vertical plane and are parallel with each other,another set of longitudinally extended ramp floors which aie inclined inthe opposite direction and are `located on the opposite side of saidvertical plane and are disposed one above another, and transverselyextended balconies which establish communication between the high endsof the ramp floors on invention, l

one side of said vertical plane and the adja- Y cent lo'w ends of ramplioors on the other side of said vertical plane, thereby forming acontinuous winding road system on which automobiles may run from thebottom to the top thereof, the Yinclined parts of said road systemhaving car storage stalls along their sides, and another continuouswinding roadway system comprising inclined ramps which are locatedbetween and are parallel with the correspondingly inclined ioors of thefirst named road system, and other oppositely inclined longitudinallyextended ramp floors which are located between and are parallel with thecorrespond ingly inclined ramp floors of the first named road system,and balconies which are located between the balconies of the first namedroad system and which establish communication between the high ends ofthe inclined ramp lioors of the second system, and the adjacent low endsof the ramp floors of said system there being a lateral passageway whichestablishes communication between a ramp floor of the first system andav ramp floor of the other system, the inclined parts of the second roadsystem having also car storage stalls along their sides.

2. A built up garage structure which iucludes, in combination, a set ofinclined longitudinally extended ramp ioors which are located one aboveanother on the saine side of a .longitudinally extended vertical plane,and are parallel with each other, another set of longitudinally extendedramp floors which are inclined in the opposite direction and are locatedon the opposite side of said vertical plane and are disposed one aboveanother, and transversely extended balconies which establishcommunication between the high ends of the ramp floors on one side ofsaid vertical plane and the adjacent low ends of ramp floors on theother side of said vertical plane, thereby forming a continuous windingincoming road sys tem on which automobiles may run from the bottoni tothe top thereof, the inclined parts of said road sytsem having carstorage stalls along their sides, and an outgoing road system which islocated outside of and winds around the incoming road system andcomprises longitudinally inclined ramps which are located adjacent thesides of the structure and alongside of the inclined ramp floors of' theincoming road system and are inclined oppositely to the ramp iloors towhich they are adjacent, and balconies which establish communicationbetween the high ends oi ramps on one side of the structure and low endsof ramps on the other side of the structure, there being lateralpassageways establishing communication between ramp floors and adjacentramps at points where the planes of the ramps and ramp iioors intersect.

3. A built up garage structure which 1ncludes, in combination, a set ofinclined longitudinallyT extended ramp floors which are located oneabove another on the same side of a longitudinally extended verticalplane, and are parallel with each other, another set of longitudinallyextended ramp floors which are inclined in the opposite ilirection andare located on the opposite side ot said vertical plane and are disposedone above another, and transversely extended balconies which establishcommunication between the high ends of the ramp floors on one side ofsaid vertical plane and the` adj acent low ends of ramp floors on theother side of said vertical plane, thereby formingr a continuous Windingincoming road system on which automobiles may run from the bottom to thetop thereof, the inclined parts of said road system having` car storagestalls along their sides, and an outgoing road system which is locatedoutside of and winds around the incoming road system and compriseslongitudinally inclined ramps which are located adjacent the sides otthe structure and alongside of the inclined ramp floors of the incomingroad system and are inclined oppositely to the ramp floors to which theyare adjacent, and balconies which establish communication between thehigh ends of ramps on one side of the structure and low ends of ramps onthe other side of the structure, there being lateral passagewaysestablishing communication between ramp floors and adjacent ramps atpoints where the planes of the ramps and ramp floors intersect, saidlateral passageways and the outgoing ramps with which they communicatelying in the same plane substantially as the adjacent ramp floors withwhich they communicate.

et. A built up garage structure which includes, in combination, a set ofinclined longitudinally extended ramp 'lloors which are located oneabove another on the same side of a longitudinally extended. verticalplane and are parallel with each other, another sot of longitudinallyextended ramp floors which are inclined in the opposite direction andare located on the opposite side of' said vertical plane and aredisposed one above another, and transversely eX- tended balconies whichestablish communication between the high ends ot the ramp floors on oneside of said vertical plane and the adjacent low ends of ramp floors onthe other side of said vertical plane, thereby forming a continuouswinding road system on which automobiles may run from the bottom to thetop thereof, the inclined parts of said road system having car storagestalls along their sides, and another continuous winding. roadway systemcomprising inclined ramps which are located between and are parallelwith the correspondingly inclined floors of the first named road system,and other oppositely inclined longitudinally extended ramp floors whichare located between and are parallel with the correspondingly inclinedramp doors of the first named road system, and balconies which arelocated between the balconies of the first named road system and whichestablish communication between the high ends of the inclined rampfloors of the second system, and the adjacent low ends of the rampiloors of said system there being a lateral passageway which establishescoinmunication between a ramp Hoor or the 'r'irst system and a rampfloor of the other system,-the inclined parts of the second road systemhaving also car storage stalls along their sides and an outgoing roadsystem which is located outside of and winds around the incoming roadsystem and comprises longitudinally inclined ramps which are locatedadjacent the sides of the structure and alongside of thea inclined rampfloors of the incoming road system and are inclined oppositely to theramp floors to which they are adjacent, and balconies which establishcommunication between the high ends of ramps on one side of thestructure and low ends of ramps on the other side oi the structure therebeing lateral passageways establishing communication between ramp floorsand adjacent ramps at points where the planes ot' the ramps and rampfloors intersect.

In testimony whereof, l hereunto aliix my signa-ture.

ARTHUR COBB.

vso

